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Skimmia leaves turning white?

beagle808beagle808 Posts: 5
in Problem solving
Hi all,

I have a male Skimmia in a pot (fragrans I think) - it's been quite happy where it is for few years but this spring the leaves started going a sort of mottled white/grey.  I've seen plenty of people ask about yellowing leaves, but this definitely isn't yellow (pic attached).  Anybody got any ideas?

Posts

  • BorderlineBorderline Posts: 4,700
    I suspect that is spider mite damage. Not really visible to the eye. You may notice webbing around the plant. 

    Your shrub may have been under stress for a while and very likely under watered. Keep it well watered and if it’s growing in too much sun try to keep it somewhere with more shade. Mulching around the base will help to seal in moisture.
  • beagle808beagle808 Posts: 5
    Ah yes, that definitely looks like spider mite damage - many thanks!  Have you any experience of effective treatment?  I'll mulch and keep an eye on water from now on.
  • BorderlineBorderline Posts: 4,700
    I have not had it on shrubs but on perennial plants. They improved when I pruned out the damaged leaves and gave it lots of water over time.

    You will need to be patient. It's unlikely the leaves will recover from this, so it's just a case of waiting for new leaves to appear that will improve. You can prune away the worst affected ones and be consistent with the watering. Container growing can be challenging, especially for shrubs. Keep them away from sun for now and try to keep them somewhere more shadier.
  • beagle808beagle808 Posts: 5
    That's great, thanks for the advice.
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